Bob Craig spent the 1980s helping build the case for Napa's mountain appellations — directing vineyard and winery development on Mount Veeder, and playing a central role in the official recognition of both the Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain District AVAs. By 1990, with four business school friends backing him, he launched his own label. The first commercial vintage was 1992.

More than three decades later, Robert Craig Winery operates its estate from 2,300 feet atop Howell Mountain, with vineyards spanning some of Napa's most demanding high-elevation sites. The Gap's Crown Chardonnay is the single white in the lineup — a deliberate outlier sourced from the Petaluma Gap in Sonoma, chosen specifically because it could hold its own against white Burgundy.

The winery's founding philosophy is simple: vineyard location is everything. Robert Craig's estate holdings have grown from 8 acres in 1993 to 52 acres today, all at elevation, where cooler temperatures, rocky volcanic soils, and longer growing seasons produce smaller berries with concentrated flavor.

The Gap's Crown Chardonnay reflects a particular set of convictions. The 138-acre hillside vineyard sits on the southern end of Sonoma Mountain in the fog and breeze channel of the Petaluma Gap — stony soils, low yields, naturally high acidity. The wine is barrel fermented in neutral oak with minimal new wood and no malolactic fermentation, resulting in a lean, mineral-driven style built for the table rather than the tasting room.

Bob Craig founded the winery in 1990 alongside his wife Lynn, and spent nearly three decades pioneering mountain Cabernet in Napa Valley before retiring in 2018. Bob passed away in September 2019 and is deeply missed by the team and club members alike.

Today the winery is led by Elton Slone, President and CEO, who joined in 2004 and is now a managing partner. Winemaker Jason Price took over in 2020 after joining as assistant winemaker in 2015 — a former research chemist who retrained at UC Davis and has guided the portfolio through several strong vintages. Assistant winemaker Yordanos Kidanie Gebru, who completed her Masters in Vineyard and Winery Management at Bordeaux Sciences Agro, brings international perspective to the cellar. Vineyard Manager Carlos Mendes has been farming the estate since 1995.